Calculating Mechanical Energy Lost to Friction on Ski Slope

AI Thread Summary
To calculate the mechanical energy lost to friction for a skier sliding down a slope, first determine the height of the slope using the sine function based on the slope length and angle. Since the skier moves at a constant speed, the net force acting on them is zero, indicating that the frictional force equals the component of gravitational force down the slope. The potential energy (PE) at the top can be calculated and compared to the kinetic energy (KE) at the bottom to find the energy lost to friction. The key is understanding that the constant speed implies a balance of forces, which directly relates to the frictional force opposing the skier's motion. This analysis leads to the conclusion that the energy lost to friction can be determined by the difference between the initial potential energy and the kinetic energy at the constant speed.
AD_3
Messages
6
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



How much mechanical energy is lost to friction if a 58.1-kg skier slides down a ski slope at constant speed of 12.1 m/s? The slope is 122.3 m long and makes an angle of 10.3° with respect to the horizontal.

Homework Equations



Emec=KE+PE

The Attempt at a Solution



I first found the height of the slope by using sin. Then I tried calculating the difference in PE and KE but it was wrong. I don't know where to go from here.
 
Physics news on Phys.org


Since the the skier is moving with constant velocity, what does this tell us about the forces acting on the skier and how it relates to friction?
 

Thread 'Struggling to understand the concept of this question (ice cube in water optics question)'

TL;DR Summary: I came across this question from a Sri Lankan A-level textbook. Question - An ice cube with a length of 10 cm is immersed in water at 0 °C. An observer observes the ice cube from the water, and it seems to be 7.75 cm long. If the refractive index of water is 4/3, find the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. I could not understand how the apparent height of the ice cube in the water depends on the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. Does anyone have an...
View full post »

Thread 'Rolling without slipping on a curved surface'

Kindly see the attached pdf. My attempt to solve it, is in it. I'm wondering if my solution is right. My idea is this: At any point of time, the ball may be assumed to be at an incline which is at an angle of θ(kindly see both the pics in the pdf file). The value of θ will continuously change and so will the value of friction. I'm not able to figure out, why my solution is wrong, if it is wrong .
View full post »

Similar threads

Calculating Speed on an Incline Using the Law of Conservation of Energy
Replies
5
Views
1K
A ball climbing a ramp while "rolling the wrong way"
Replies
32
Views
3K
Stopping distances on a downward slope
Replies
3
Views
2K
Using Momentum, KE and PE to solve this skier velocity problem
Replies
13
Views
3K
Work & Energy (Question on Classical Mechanics/Slope based Problems)
Replies
7
Views
2K
How to calculate the kinematics of an object pushed up an inclinex plane?
Replies
7
Views
1K
What Are the Gravitational and Normal Forces on a Skier on a Slope?
Replies
4
Views
2K
Mechanical Energy of two Cannonballs fired at two different angles
Replies
9
Views
2K
Not sure how to plug in numbers for Work Energy Theorem
Replies
13
Views
3K
Kinetic friction and lost mechanical energy
Replies
12
Views
3K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top